The Kind of Methodist I Want to Be
As always, these musings are my own opinion and not those of any denomination, church, or organization.
I bought the book over 10 years ago and almost got rid of it twice.
It was an impromptu purchase at a continuing education event, a recommendation from a fellow pastor during a breakout session. I felt certain that when I got back home, I would dive headfirst into it and glean wisdom for the congregations I was serving.
I did start, and soon after stop, reading the book multiple times. It was theological, historical, academic … all the qualities of what I read so much in seminary that I tended to avoid them. I’d put it back on the shelf and say, “Maybe one day.”
“One day” did arrive, but that book was not for me to share with a local church. And much to my chagrin, it did take me back to seminary—to teach me what I should have learned long ago.
While I was on sabbatical this year, I began, and finally finished, reading Dr. Frank Billman’s The Supernatural Thread in Methodism: Signs and Wonders Among Methodists Then and Now. Yes, that title does take up more than a line of text! Billman carefully researched and compiled an often-overlooked part of Methodist heritage: testimonies of the miraculous and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. He shares story after story of healings, speaking in tongues, prophecies, and more occurring in Methodist settings dating back to the time of the Wesleys. As someone with roots in the charismatic movement and Pentecostal worship experiences, I was fascinated. Of course, I was familiar with Holiness and Pentecostal churches having their roots in Methodism in America, but I didn’t realize how much the signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit permeated early Methodist worship services. I didn’t realize how similar the early Methodist services resembled the charismatic services in which I was raised.
“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts...”
My primary experiences in Methodist worship services have been much more “traditional” with predominantly white congregations in the South. To provide some context, most of those experiences occurred as a young adult after the Lord led me to The United Methodist Church while I was in college. The churches I attended as a student and have served as a pastor would be described as more “traditional,” and I have certainly seen God’s power in their liturgy and Sacrament, not to mention the love of so many people.
Early on in seminary, though, I had to really adjust because I missed open, emotional expressions in worship: lifting of hands, dancing in the Spirit, and extensive time in prayer at the altar. I have no doubt that the miraculous is emphasized in Methodist congregations around the world, and manifestations of the Spirit occur often and in diverse ways. The struggle I had in seminary was that in the classroom structure, intellectual knowledge always seemed to carry more weight than spiritual experience. We learned a lot about the Wesleys’ theology and extensive history, but that history did not include supernatural manifestations of the miraculous. We learned that John Wesley had an experience at Aldersgate of a “strangely warmed heart,” but we never talked about what the spiritual experience actually looked like, what that miracle looked like.
Billman’s book opened a Narnian wardrobe to show me a Methodism I had not encountered. I emerged on the other side of its pages knowing exactly what kind of Methodist I want to be. I’m not talking about Methodist in terms of denominations but in terms of core beliefs that should undergird and empower any congregation that identifies as Wesleyan or Methodist.
“I want to be a Spirit-filled Methodist who expects and witnesses miraculous signs and wonders among God’s people.”
What exactly does that mean?
If I were to elaborate in one musing, I’d be writing and you’d be listening or reading well into tomorrow! And I’d rather not lose readers and listeners by being too long-winded. I’m excited to dig into this kind of Methodist with you over the next few weeks. In a time when we are so easily divided as a nation and in the Church, when we look closely at our roots as Methodists we encounter a better way, a way that does not lead to unity but forms us in unity. I look forward to walking this path with you. Come with an open mind and an expectant heart to see the Holy Spirit in a new way!
all good things to each of you,
dr. darian